Offseason Trade Pitch Replaces Vikings’ Kirk Cousins With $230 Million QB

Vikings Trade Pitch Swaps Kirk Cousins to Jets for Top Pick

The Minnesota Vikings seemingly want to bring Kirk Cousins back next season. A free agent this offseason, Cousins has also said he would like to be back. Many variables could combine to make reaching a deal more difficult, though.

General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah could also have his eyes on drafting a quarterback of the future. That would continue the Vikings’ plan of a competitive rebuild.

On top of what it might take to re-sign Cousins, who will be 36 by the start of next season, he won’t be healthy enough to practice until the spring. And a rookie might not be ready enough to play right away, especially one taken where the Vikings might be choosing.

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There could be a happy medium between a ready-made quarterback and one for the future.

Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports suggested one the Vikings saw up close in his mock draft from December 28: Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals.

Vikings get:

Kyler Murray
2025 sixth-round pick

Cardinals get:

2024 second-round pick
2024 fifth-round pick
2025 conditional fourth-round pick

“There’s a distinct possibility that Justin Fields and Kyler Murray will be playing on different teams in 2024,” Trapasso wrote. “Let’s send these two veteran passers to new locales to see how it’d impact the first round in our latest mock draft.”

Trepasso’s suggestion comes with the idea that the Cardinals would be in a position to draft Murray’s replacement, Drake Maye of North Carolina, with the No. 2 overall pick.

The fourth-rounder would become a third if Murray reaches 4,000 passing yards in 2024.

Murray and the Cardinals visited the Vikings in Week 8 of the 2022 season. The Vikings got the win, sacking Murray four times and intercepting him twice. He also fumbled once, though it was recovered by the offense.

More importantly for the Vikings in this scenario, Murray completed 70% of his passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns.

He had another 36 yards on six carries. His 26 rushing touchdowns in his first 60 games put him among some notable company.

There was also some smoke around a Vikings trade for the former No. 1 overall pick.

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